Gifts: Stargazers
The Stargazers Gifts Spirits in service to or allied with a tribe's totem teach Tribal Gifts. Some tribes' Gifts haven't changed in centuries, while others (such as the Glass Walkers) regularly reinvent their relationship with the spirits. Learning a Gift from another tribe usually requires the Garou to be on good terms with at least one member of the tribe (generally a packmate) who can summon the appropriate spirit. Even then, the Garou must convince the spirit she is worthy of its blessings, and that she won't turn them against its tribal allies. Some Garou are extremely touchy about outsiders learning their tribal blessings, while others believe the practice strengthens the Garou Nation as a whole in its war against the Wyrm. The Stargazers' search for insight and wisdom has naturally led them deep into the spiritual realm. Their Gifts are a by-product of their penchant for visions and riddles, as well as outgrowths of their pursuit of non-lethal combat methods. The Siberakh, an obscure, reclusive Siberian sub-tribe, has little to do with the Western Concordiat, and likes it that way. Descended from a mixture of Silver Fang and Wendigo stock, the Siberakh claim Sable as their only particular spiritual ally; otherwise, they use a mixture of Wendigo and Silver Fang Gifts. Generally, Siberakh characters may purchase any Gifts from the Silver Fang and Wendigo lists except those taught by Falcon, his servants, and falcon-spirits, or by Great Wendigo and his servants. Rank 1 Balance The Stargazer is able to walk across any ledge, rope, or other narrow causeway, no matter how thin or slippery. Wind-spirits teach this Gift. System: Difficulties for climbing decrease by three, and attempts to maintain balance automatically succeed. This Gift's effects are permanent. Channeling Rage is both a boon and a bane to the Garou, and the Stargazers feel this more than most. Many stargazers seek new ways to harness and direct their divine fury, and those with this Gift have at least one more option: to channel the vast stream of Rage into a single action, intensifying and clarifying it. This Gift is taught by a fire-spirit. System: The player may spend up to three Rage points on a single action. Each point spent in this manner gives the werewolf an extra die for that roll. Falling Touch This Gift allows the Garou to send her foe sprawling with but a touch. Any aerial spirit can teach this Gift. System: The player rolls Willpower (difficulty of the opponent's Stamina + Athletics). Even one success sends the victim to the ground. This Gift may be employed through even the lightest, brushing contact at no cost, or may be delivered through an attack by paying one point of Willpower or Rage. Such attacks inflict full damage in addition to knocking the target prone. Iron Resolve Through the blessings of the spirits, the Stargazer's resolve is tempered like steel, allowing great feats through application of sheer will. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift. System: Once per scene, the Stargazer may spend one Willpower to gain two automatic successes on an action, rather than one. Sense Wyrm The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit. System: The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher. Rank 2 Inner Light The Stargazer can step sideways into the Umbra using only his own inner light; he needs no mirror. This Gift is taught by an Epiphling of Truth. System: The character is always considered to be using a mirror when attempting to step sideways, regardless of the presence of any reflective surface. Inner Strength Inner Strength (Level Two) ' After brief meditation, the Garou may convert her inner anger into iron resolve. Ancestor-spirits teach this Gift. System: The character concentrates for five minutes; the player rolls Wits + Enigmas (difficulty 8). Each success converts one point of Rage into a point of Willpower. Resist Temptation Using a series of ritual gestures to equalize the flow of energy through her chakra points, the Stargazer can resist worldly, material, and spiritual temptations, including corruption. This Gift is taught by an earth-spirit. System: The player rolls Wits + Rituals and spends one Gnosis point. Each success raises others' difficulties to ensorcel or supernaturally coerce the character by one for the rest of the scene. This Gift is automatically successful against non-supernatural coercion. Surface attunement The Stargazer becomes as one with her environment, gaining the ability to easily traverse Gaia's face ' no matter what obstacles it may present. She may pass at normal speed across water, mud, snow, and quicksand without falling through or leaving tracks. The spirits of small, often-overlooked animals (such as rabbits, sparrows and mice) teach this Gift. System: The werewolf concentrates for a turn; her player rolls Dexterity + Athletics, difficulty 6. This Gift lasts for a scene. Wuxing The Stargazer exploits the mystical resonance between the Asian elements of water, fire, earth, metal, and wood, transforming one element into another. An avatar of Chimera teaches this Gift. System: The player rolls Manipulation + Enigmas (difficulty 7). Each success allows for one square foot of a particular element (water, earth, fire, metal, or wood) to be changed into an alternate type of the same group of elements: Fire may become wood, water may become earth, and so on. The dimension and shape of the element doesn't change ' a fire in a fireplace still retains its "shape," but may now be made of wood, or even water (which retains the same shape, becoming liquid held fast to a specific contour). The effect lasts for a number of turns equal to the character's Gnosis rating. Rank 3 Clarity This Gift grants the ability to see through fog, pitch darkness, and invisibility, and to recognize illusions. A wind-spirit teaches it. System: The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 7). If the Stargazer attempts to see someone else's illusion, the number of successes rolled by the creator must be matched or beaten by the Garou; otherwise, this Gift negates visual penalties. Merciful Blow The Garou can subdue a foe in combat without harming him. A mongoose-spirit teaches this Gift. System: The player spends one Gnosis point, and the Stargazer attunes himself to the body of his foe. For the remainder of the scene, although the Garou's attacks inflict damage, no actual injuries appear upon the opponent's body. A foe incapacitated through the use of this power immediately regains all health lost to the Garou's Merciful Blows, and is guaranteed to remain unconscious for at least the rest of the scene. Sense Balance The werewolf may sense an overabundance of Wyrm, Wyld, or Weaver energies in a location. A cat-spirit teaches this Gift. System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 8) to detect the spiritual balance of an area, if any. Wyrm manifestations feel dense and oily, Weaver presence feels cold and unyielding, and Wyld energies feel hot and trembling. The Philodox must be at peace and without distraction to use this Gift. Wind’s Returning Favor A Stargazer with this Gift may be a master of weapons, but rarely goes about armed. She may rely on her opponents to bring weapons to her hand. This Gift is taught by a wind-spirit. System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Dexterity + Athletics in response to an opponent's close-range Melee attack (difficulty equals the opponent's Wits + Melee). The Stargazer's successes take away the successes on the opponent's attack roll; if the Stargazer's successes outnumber the opponent's, she steals the attacker's weapon and may use it on the following turn. Rank 4 Preternatural Awareness The Stargazer attunes all her senses to her surroundings, becoming preternaturally aware of her opponent's doings and allowing her to anticipate them somewhat. A wind-spirit teaches this Gift. System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Perception + Athletics (difficulty 7). All opponents' dice pools to hit the Garou decrease by a number of dice equal to the successes rolled. This penalty applies even if the werewolf cannot see the attack coming. This Gift's effects last for one scene. Mindblock The Garou fortifies her will against mystical influences of all sorts. A falcon-spirit teaches this Gift. System: The difficulties of any direct mental attacks or attempts to control the Garou's mind, as well as more insidious psychic assaults (mind-reading, illusions, possession, and so forth) are raised to 10. The effects of this Gift are permanent, but do not apply to magic which sways the Garou's emotions. Strike the Air The Stargazer becomes the ultimate example of passive resistance. She is unable to attack an opponent, but is also unable to be hit, allowing her opponent to exhaust herself in an intricate dance of frustrated blows. A mongoose-spirit teaches this Gift. System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Wits + Athletics (difficulty equals the opponent's Willpower). For the duration of the scene, the opponent cannot strike the Garou, no matter how well he rolls. This Gift is canceled immediately if the werewolf attacks his opponent or if anyone else attacks on the Garou's behalf. This Gift will work on multiple opponents, but the player must spend a point of Willpower and make a new roll for each attacker. Rank 5 Circular Attack The greatest Stargazers have no fear of fighting even a horde of opponents. They can not only avoid their foes' attacks, but can channel those attacks toward other enemies. Thus the Stargazer's flowing movements turn a mob of murderous fomori into a weapon directed against itself. A wind-spirit teaches this Gift. System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Wits + Athletics (difficulty equals the highest Wits of any present opponent + 3). Each success enables the Garou to perfectly dodge one attack or to redirect one attack directed at her to strike a different target during that turn. The Stargazer may not use this Gift multiple times in one turn or spend Rage during the same turn, although she may take multiple actions in the standard fashion. Harmonious Unity of the Emerald Mother The wisest of Stargazers understand that all divisions of the flesh are mere illusion. The only true separation is of spirit ' Wyrm from Weaver, Weaver from Wyld, Triat from Gaia. But even then, the great forces of the universe are connected. Drawing upon this wisdom, the Garou banishes the boundaries dividing the mind and body of man from the power of the werewolf. An avatar of Gaia herself teaches this Gift. System: The player spends one Gnosis point. For the next day, the Stargazer enjoys the physical Attribute bonuses and regenerative powers of the Crinos form while in Homid. This Gift doesn't grant Crinos form's claws, fangs, or expanded senses, nor does it inflict the Delirium. Wisdom of the Seer By gazing into the night sky for an hour, the Stargazer becomes a channel for the wisdom of the Tellurian, and can find the answer to almost any question. A Chimerling teaches this Gift. System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Enigmas (difficulty 7). If successful, the player can ask any one simple question of the Storyteller and expect an answer that is honest, if vague and wrapped in symbolism. The clarity of the information depends on the number of successes, and it is rare to gain a complete and straightforward answer.